Written in the Stars
by iamacliche
Summary: "Velma knew they would be together one day; after all, it was written in the stars." One-shot, sequel to "Parallel Lives." When Shaggy hears that Velma could use some cheering up, he surprises her with a fun afternoon spent at an unexpected place. My first ever Shelma, rated K . Please read and review!


**Author Note: **Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I know I said I was taking a hiatus, and to a certain extent I am still taking a break from longer, more nuanced stories until the spring, but I missed writing Scooby fanfic so much, and I have had this idea for a Shelma story for awhile now. I finally finished it this weekend, so I thought I would publish it and see what you all think. I wanted to try and give something to all Scooby fans, even though Fraphne will always be my OTP. Plus, I really enjoyed writing Velma's perspective in alternating chapters of "Parallel Lives," so fleshing her out a bit further here was a lot of fun!

A few notes before you proceed reading:

\- This story is a sequel to both of my previous stories, and it especially makes a decent amount of references to "Parallel Lives." If you want to avoid spoilers, read those before returning here.  
\- However, that being said, you do not need to read my other stories in order to enjoy this one. (And I won't judge ya if you haven't read them yet, haha!) I will say, however, that it might make more sense if you do read "Parallel Lives" before this one, just because the first portion of this story references it a decent amount.  
\- This is my first Shelma fanfic, and for some reason I am kind of nervous to share it. Fraphne is my OTP, and writing them comes so naturally to me. I really hope my Shelma shippers enjoy this one!  
\- I also challenged myself to move away from first person narrative here since I did that in my first two stories. I hope you like the variation in writing styles!  
\- All of the facts about stars, astronomy, and the studies conducted concerning the human brain were taken from internet research, so this took quite some time to write since I had fact checked quite a bit.

As always, please leave a review and feedback if you feel so moved! I really hope you all enjoy this! - iamacliche

* * *

**Written in the Stars**

The high-pitched screech of the alarm clock summoned Velma from a black, dreamless sleep. Groaning, she rolled beneath her tangerine colored bedsheets and smashed the face of the alarm clock, effectively silencing the noise. When she realized that it was a school day, she burrowed beneath her sheets, savoring the feeling of being ensconced in her blankets and the soft wool that curled around her protectively like a cocoon. Until recently, school and solving mysteries with her friends had been a source of refugee for Velma; for years she had continuously impressed Coolsville with her wits through mysteries and her studies, but that was before she brought the concept of Schrodiner's cat to life by inventing a box that could access the multiverse. Unbeknownst to Velma, only hours after she had unveiled her invention, her best friends Fred and Daphne had been kidnapped by multiverse versions of themselves. It was true that her best friends had been home for a few weeks now, but it was evident that both were still grappling with the trauma that they had faced; both Fred and Daphne withheld much of what they had endured from the gang, and the few details they did reveal were told in terse voices and hot, salty tears.

And Velma knew she was entirely to blame for it all; she was to blame for every tear, every bruise and cut, every emotional scar, and every moment that Fred and Daphne had spent trapped inside the vast, sprawling multiverse, terrified and desperate to find their way home.

Fred and Daphne never explicitly told Velma this, of course; in fact, both of her friends needlessly and selflessly expressed that neither of them held Velma responsible for their kidnapping, which Velma thought was considerate and thoughtful, and even unsurprising, given that her friends loved her and hated to see her hurting. Velma knew Fred and Daphne meant well, and they sounded genuine when they said it, yet she couldn't help but wonder if they said it to save Velma from her own shattered perceptions of herself. However, it was too late for that; Velma knew that for every day for the rest of her life, she would have to wrestle with the fact that her lack of foresight with her latest invention had nearly gotten her friends killed, and now all of Coolsville knew what Velma really was beneath her orange turtleneck sweaters and her charcoal glasses, and that was a phony.

"You're being so hard on yourself, V," Velma could practically hear her mother attempting to sooth Velma as she berated herself yet again, which was something her mother had done a lot of ever since the truth about the multiverse had been revealed. For the first week after her friends were home, Velma had spent a lot of time at home, moping and sulking listlessly around the house, and rebuking herself for the pain she had put her friends through. Whenever Velma scolded herself out loud, her mother was always close by to chide Velma for being so hard on herself, and while the gesture was sweet, Velma felt undeserving of all of this love and forgiveness pouring out of her friends and her mother. Everyone kept telling Velma to be kind to herself after the incident occurred, but that wasn't possible when the entire world knew that Velma had not only gotten her friends killed, but that she also clearly wasn't cut out for a career in science, which had been the only thing that allowed Velma to stand out from everyone else in the world.

And Velma would only admit it to herself, but aside from inflicting unnecessary pain upon her friends, the other half of the reason as to why she was lethargic was because she thought she finally had something unique with this invention. That emotion was so significant for Velma, who lamented that she wasn't special in any way. She had nothing interesting to boast of until she had experience that golden, glorious moment when the box had been completed and successfully beamed a mouse into the multiverse. The blissful time between that moment and the moment it was revealed that Fred and Daphne had been kidnapped had made Velma feel as though she was gliding through the sky on her own two feet; the invention made everyone in Coolsville look at her with awe and admiration, and she finally felt as though she had amounted to something. But then the multiverse Daphne revealed what her and multiverse Fred had done, and Velma felt her identity and her self-worth explode, like shrapnel, and she was reeling ever since that moment. The experience made her think of this story her mom had always told Velma about a painting she had owned. Before Velma was even born, her mother had a painting of a bowl of fruit displayed on the wall in her dingy, cheap-to-rent apartment. The painting depicted a cerulean colored bowl with one banana, one apple, and one orange, and Velma's mother loved the painting; she loved the ordinariness of the painting and the cheerful colors and the way that the orange overlapped the apple without overshadowing the beauty of the other fruit, and whenever she stood before it, the painting evoked a sense of peace and tranquility within her. But then one day a friend asked Velma's mom why she liked the painting so much and pointed out that it was "nothing special, just fruit," and the remark had cut her mother so deeply that she threw away the painting the very next morning because she realized her friend was right.

After the multiverse revealed just how dangerous and powerful and selfish it had actually been, Velma felt like her mother's painting; for a brief, shining moment, she was special, distinct even, but she was actually "nothing special," just like fruit; she was Velma, plain, boring, uninteresting, frumpy Velma. And even though she loved her friends, she felt it even more when she was juxtaposed against them during mysteries. Fred was the handsome, charismatic, fearless leader of the group; Daphne was the gorgeous, outgoing and witty girl whom the boys wanted to date and the girls wanted to emulate; and Scooby Doo was impossible to dislike, not only because he was a dog (who doesn't love dogs?!), but because he was also the group's mascot.

And then there was Shaggy. Velma sighed contentedly – what could be said about Shaggy? He was the goofiest, funniest, sweetest, most carefree person Velma had ever met; she was fairly sure that if all the boys in the world were lined up before her, she would only notice Shaggy standing before her, and that lit an unexpected fire in her body that she didn't know how to control.

Velma felt her breath hitch in her throat as she thought about Shaggy, and her strong emotional response consistently surprised her, even though she had been experiencing it for a while and should have logically been accustomed to it by now. She wasn't sure exactly when she had gone from considering Shaggy as "just a friend" to possibly something more, but she had never felt this way about a boy before, and she didn't initially know what to do with this powerful and overwhelming reaction. Indeed, Velma had never felt this way about another person before, and when she had first begun to experience it, the emotions had confused her; she went from being focused and concentrated during class to daydreaming about seeing Shaggy's smile in the hallway between classes, and Velma had never been one to zone out during her classes. Being the logical and rational person that she was, Velma immediately took to the internet in an attempt to self-diagnose her symptoms and analyze why Shaggy made her feel this way. Eventually, she came across scientific studies that supported the fact that romantic love, or at least the new, tingling sensation that teenagers called "crushing," seemed to have interesting effects on the human mind; Velma discovered that the brain of someone who is in love displays activity in the amygdala, which is associated with feelings pertaining to the gut. There was also activity traced in the nucleus accumbens, which illustrates rewarding or "feel good" stimuli that is often correlated with drug users, which allowed Velma to reach an interesting conclusion: the brain of someone who has fallen in love is no longer rational and concentrated. The brain of someone who has fallen in love looks like the brain of someone who is strung out on drugs, and when it was framed in this manner, Velma began to understand that _Shaggy_ was indeed the reason as to why her brain was literally fried.

The scientific evidence accounted for Daphne and Fred, as well. For so long, Velma had watched Daphne bemoan her crush on Fred, and Velma had felt genuinely confused as to how one person's entire existence could consume and gnaw at someone else's mind to the extent that Daphne exhibited towards Fred. Every moment of complete abandon and total absent-mindedness that Fred and Daphne had demonstrated before they were dating and during the early stages of their relationship honestly terrified Velma, as these were both traits that Velma found unbecoming since she was always composed and rational and logical, and she thought that if this were love, then she wanted no part of it for herself someday. But as her friends started dating and they grew closer and closer, Velma noticed how there were several times when Fred stared at Daphne just a few beats longer with a smile on his face, or how Daphne blushed whenever Fred kissed her forehead, and whenever Daphne gushed about how being with Fred was so easy and effortless, Velma started wondering if maybe she was missing out on something by denying herself the experience of being in a relationship. The multiverse had stitched Daphne and Fred even closer yet, and since they had arrived home they spent a good amount of free time together, which was understandable given that they had shared trauma now, but there were moments when Velma had an inclination that their connection had been reinforced by sex. Velma couldn't imagine that there was a "Fred" out there for her, much less someone who would actually want to be physically intimate with her, but lately whenever she thought about Fred and Daphne's relationship, she couldn't help but picture her and Shaggy walking hand-in-hand and laughing the same way she had often seen Fred and Daphne moving together, and the thought of it all caused her palms to sweat and her heart to knock against her ribcage.

Velma heard the sound of her phone chirping from the other side of her room, and she groaned when she realized that she had inadvertently remained buried beneath her blankets instead of rising to greet the school day. She rolled over to face the clock, moaning again when she noted that school had begun about half an hour ago, thus implying that Velma was now late for her first period, which was history class. Her mother had gone into work early today, so it hadn't been difficult for Velma to skip the school day undetected. Velma wasn't one to skip school without a concrete, valid reason; in fact, the very idea of remaining beneath her blankets was causing her chest to constrict as she considered how this would be the very first day she had ever skipped school "just because" if she didn't start moving right now. But even Velma knew that skipping today would amount to nothing of consequence; she was graduating in just a month, and her grades wouldn't suffer, and surely her ivy league scholarship would remain unscathed if she had survived the multiverse scandal. As Velma reasoned this all with a smile, she nestled back into her covers and decided sleepily that she hadn't taken a day to recover since the multiverse incident, and surely no one would notice if she was missing from school for the day, not Fred, nor Daphne, nor Scooby, and probably not even –

Velma's phone trilled once more, causing her eyes to flap open just as she felt herself being lulled into a still, peaceful sleep. Curiosity was beginning to gnaw at her, so slowly she sat up in bed, and stretched her arms above her head before she leisurely strolled to the other side of the room. The only light emitting in her room came from the glow-in-the-dark stars pasted on the top of Velma's ceiling, so Velma flicked a light switch as she walked towards her phone, causing the starlight to dim. Velma's mom had plastered the stars to Velma's bedroom ceiling when Velma was a little girl; it was common knowledge to anyone who knew Velma that her love of science extended to astronomy, and even astrology, which some would say wasn't quite as logical, but Velma loved nonetheless. When she finally reached her phone Velma unplugged it from the charger, and the screen lit up with two missed text messages, causing her to she gasp when she saw they were both from Shaggy. She quickly slid her finger across the screen to open the texts, and she held her breath as she read the messages.

Shaggy: Like, hey Velms! Are ya runnin' late for class?

Shaggy: Velma, are you not comin' to school today?

Velma felt the tips of her ears burning and a smile subconsciously split her face; she loved how Shaggy typed exactly as he spoke, and she could practically hear the slow drawl of his voice as she read the message. She was initially surprised he had reached out, but given that Shaggy sat next to her in their first class, he probably wondered why she was absent. Her fingers flew across the touch screen keyboard as she typed a response.

Velma: Hey, Shag. I won't be in school today; I'm not really in the mood to be around other people, I suppose. I'm having a "mental health day;" it's like a sick day, but for my mind.

Velma shocked herself at her willingness to divulge her current emotional state to Shaggy, but she wasn't in the mood to craft an elaborate lie. Besides, Shaggy was a mystery solver, just like her; there was a good chance that if she had fabricated some sort of lie, he would have detected it immediately.

Her phone dinged only a minute later, and Shaggy's message made Velma's breath catch in her throat and her heart gallop in her chest as she stared at the text.

_Like, a mental health day away from this joint sounds groovy! Do ya, like, want some company?_

Velma's hands hovered over the screen as she stood, frozen, unsure of what to say, and attempting to process what had just transpired. Was Shaggy implying that he wanted to skip school with _Velma_?! What would they do all day? How would she be able to concentrate on breathing and behaving rationally if they were alone and if Shaggy stood close beside Velma? Usually when she saw Shaggy, it was during a mystery with the rest of the gang, or if they weren't solving a mystery then the gang was most likely eating at Sherry's Dairy and Diner, which meant that Shaggy was distracted and content, so Velma could observe him with careful detachment, and he wouldn't notice nor question it. What if she was too awkward around him without Fred and Daphne and Scooby around to bolster the conversation if there was a lull? But then Velma could practically hear Daphne scolding her, saying, "Velma, if you like him so much, how are you two ever going to date someday if you don't spend some time alone with him?!" It had been so long since Shaggy had offered to go somewhere with just him and Velma; in fact, it had been since the night when she had first invented the multiverse, and she recalled how she had felt an immediate pang of regret at turning down his invitation. Without giving it another thought, Velma's fingers danced across the touchpad keyboard as she typed, and she pressed the send button before she could stop herself.

Velma: You know what, Shaggy, I would be honored if you would join me on this mental health day.

She reread the message after it had been sent, and her head began to swim and the room started to spin as she realized what she had done, but the feeling wasn't regret nor remorse; in fact, she felt as though she could start twirling and gliding around her room as a light and airy feeling expanded behind her ribcage. Velma raced towards her dresser and yanked open a drawer, and delicately removed a neatly folded sweater and a red pleated skirt. As she shimmied out of her pajamas and began to throw on her sweater, her phone pinged again, twice, and she scurried over to where she had placed it on top of her dresser.

Shaggy: Groovy! Like, this should be fun. Fred and Daphne aren't at school today either, so like, it will just be us two.

Shaggy: Soooo…now, like, I gotta get outta here so we can hang out. Do you think you could, like, do me a favor?

Velma didn't pay much mind to the first text regarding Daphne and Fred; her heart was clenching in its chest as her mind dwelled on what favor Shaggy could possibly want of her at this moment.

Velma: Sure, Shag, what do you need me to do for you?

Shaggy: Like, I don't think I'll be able to walk out of the school unnoticed. Could you, like, call the office and pretend you're my mom? Tell them you'll be here in like, twenty minutes, and then I'll walk outside once you're here. Do you think your mom will, like, freak if you borrow her other car for the day?

Velma's palms began sweating and her heart thumped even faster as she mulled over Shaggy's question. Normally, Velma's mother wouldn't mind if Velma had to borrow their extra car, a cute, bright red Volkswagen bug that Velma's mom left in the garage for emergencies. The car was rarely used just because Velma preferred riding around in the Mystery Machine with her friends, and driving tended to make Velma anxious. What really concerned Velma was the fact that not only was she skipping school for no viable reason, but now she was pulling Shaggy into this, too, and he expected her to call the school and lie for him. Velma wasn't accustomed to breaking so many rules in one day, even though her and the gang probably broke various rules and laws during their own mysteries, even if it was in the name of justice and unmasking a criminal.

Velma: …I don't know about this, Shaggy. Do you really think the school will believe that I'm your mom?

Shaggy: Sure, it's not like they know what she sounds like! Take your mom's car and call them, and I'll, like, see ya in a bit. I promise it will be, like, the best mental health day ever!

Velma bit her lip to stop the smile that spread across her face; she had to admit that even though she was about to break a lot of rules, it was tantalizing to find out what Shaggy had in store for their day. Her thoughts began to tumble around in her mind as she considered the possibilities, and hurriedly she ran a brush through her hair. Velma couldn't wait for the day that unraveled before them like endless reams of blank white paper; and maybe this was a sign that Shaggy reciprocated his feelings for her, and maybe soon they could become a –

_He's only seeing you today because Fred and Daphne and Scooby are all at home. Don't get too excited; he's just bored, and doesn't want to suffer at school alone_.

The uninviting thought bolted across Velma's mind, and it caused her to drop the brush from her hand, and a frown twisted violently across her face as her eyebrows creased together. Slowly, she blinked at her reflection in the mirror, overwhelmed by how the girl gazing steadily back at Velma was no longer upbeat and optimistic about the day stretched before her, because as always, Velma's subconscious was right; why would Shaggy want to spend the day alone at school? He had probably felt despaired at missing Daphne and Fred, whom he had surely discovered were absent for the day before first period. After Shaggy had realized they were absent, he surely made the connection that Fred and Daphne most likely stayed home because they were still slowly recuperating from the multiverse, and realizing this implied that they wanted their privacy, he had selected Velma as a second choice, a consolation prize. Velma shook her head in the mirror, disgusted with herself for ever allowing her hopes to soar above a realistic expectation. But what revolted her even more than this realization was that Velma still intended to proceed with the mental health day with Shaggy; her fingers were already typing the phone number to Coolsville High School, and she was already mentally psyching herself for the explanation she would offer the school secretary as to why "Shaggy's mom" needed to pull Shaggy out of class for the day.

"Stupid, stupid," Velma whispered to herself. She shook her head in the mirror, as though she was scolding a child for misbehaving. "You can spend the day with him, but you can not allow yourself to get carried away and think this means something to him. Remember: you're just like that stupid painting your mom hung in her apartment. You're just plain old, boring _Velma_."

And it was true; she couldn't allow herself to forget what she really was, and that was "nothing special – just fruit."

* * *

Calling the school and posing as Shaggy's mom had been a lot easier than Velma had anticipated. The secretary sounded bored and bemused when Velma rattled off a vague excuse about a "forgotten doctor's appointment for my son, Shaggy," and when Velma had finished speaking, the secretary tiredly informed Velma that she would buzz Shaggy out of class and have him wait for her in the office. In spite of Velma's self-revelation that Shaggy was proceeding with this only because he was bored, she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement as she hung up the phone and slipped into the driver's seat of her mom's car. As she turned on the engine and nudged the vehicle out of the garage, she marveled at how she and Shaggy were duping the school right underneath their noses, and she felt rebellion flare inside of her like a flame.

Five minutes later Velma was pulling into the Coolsville High School parking lot, and despite her bravado just a few minutes ago, her heart fluttered as she guided the car to pause outside the main entrance. What would her and Shaggy do if one of the guards walked Shaggy to her car to verify that Velma was indeed Shaggy's mom? They would both be caught, and this situation would just be another layer on top of the other turmoil in Velma's life. Quickly, Velma sent a text to Shaggy, informing him that she had the car running outside and that she was waiting for him to make his escape, and she couldn't help but smirk as she thought of how the text almost sounded like they were about to commit a bank robbery. Once the text had been sent, Velma slid her phone back into her pocket and turned to face the double doors, and she concentrated on breathing in and out for five full seconds to steady her nerves.

Not even a minute after the text was sent, Shaggy emerged from the double doors of the school, lumbering slowly and leisurely towards the car. Velma felt the ever familiar fire ignite inside her belly as she saw him smile as though he had no cares in the world; when Shaggy wasn't terrified during a mystery, he always had a smile on his face, as though he had a joke he wanted to share with the world, and it was one of the things that made Velma realize she enjoyed his presence as more of a friend. When Shaggy caught Velma staring through the car windows his smile spread even wider and he arched his eyebrows mischievously, causing goosebumps to slither across Velma's arms. A minute later Shaggy was opening the passenger door and slipping into the seat beside her, and after he shut the door the two stared at each other before immediately dissolving into a fit of giggles. Velma threw her palms over her mouth as she snickered, as though a teacher or the principal would hear them, and she pulled away from the school as Shaggy threw his backpack in the back seat and continued laughing.

"Like, I told ya they would buy it, Velms!" Shaggy beamed. "The secretary, like, didn't even bat an eye when I said that 'my mom' had just texted to say she was waiting outside. That was, like, too easy!"

Velma laughed and nodded in agreement; she had to admit, it astounded her to think that she had spent four years of high school believing that it was nearly impossible to break out of school during the day, as though the students were under heavy surveillance, like prisoners in a jail. As the Bug sped down the main road, she glanced at Shaggy, who was still smiling at her, and she tried to inhale and exhale evenly for five seconds again when she realized her ears were burning and her stomach was clenching at the thought of him sitting so close beside her in the car.

"Okay Shaggy, you said you had something in store for us today, so let's hear it," Velma said, admiring how her voice didn't wobble nor betray her nerves.

Shaggy grinned and thrusted his finger towards the street ahead of them. "Like, yes – I _do _have something fun planned for us! Make a right, like, up ahead at that road, and then it's going to be, like, about a few miles before you make another right. We should be there in, like, two minutes!"

As they drove, Velma attempted to visualize where Shaggy was instructing her to go, but she couldn't picture what buildings stood at the street corner he was leading them towards. Her initial guess was the mall, but that was more up Daphne's alley, and Shaggy wasn't the type of guy who thought going to the shooting range to hit practice targets was fun. The obvious answer would be a restaurant or even Sherry's Diner, a restaurant they frequented with the gang, but they were driving in the opposite direction, and she had a feeling they both intrinsically knew Sherry, the owner and an unofficial parental figure of the gang, would question them about skipping school. Needless to say, when Velma found herself driving into the parking lot of the Glow N' Golf Galaxy and Arcade, she felt a jolt of shock. She put the car in park and craned her neck to gaze at the neon bubble letters of the sign that was mounted to the front of the building.

"Shaggy, this wasn't quite what I had in mind when I said I wanted a mental health day," Velma confessed as Shaggy climbed out of the Bug. Velma unbuckled and clambered out of the car, blushing when Shaggy grinned at her again as he turned towards the building with a boyish excitement glowing in his eyes.

"Like, why not Velms?" Shaggy asked innocently. "Isn't, like, a mental health day supposed to be about having fun? When you, like, take a sick day you go to the doctor's, but the medicine for a mental health day calls for fun and games. Besides, there's something in here I think you'll really, like, wanna see!"

Velma had to admit that her curiosity was piqued, so she grinned as she followed Shaggy through the doors of Glow N' Golf Galaxy and Arcade. Immediately, Velma's nose detected the scent of rubber, which reminded her of the ball pit she liked to play in at the local McDonalds as a child. The main doors behind the front counter were tinted and darkened, so Velma couldn't see inside the main building and discern what awaited her. Standing behind the counter was a woman dressed in black, crisp clothing, and the only pop of color on her entire outfit was a neon pink tie clipped onto the peter pan collar on her top. The woman had her head bowed, and as Shaggy and Velma neared the counter, Velma noticed it was because she was apparently immersed in a game on her cell phone, which was apparent from the loud music and noise blaring from the speaker. When Shaggy leaned over and smacked his palm against the bell that was perched on the counter the woman flinched and snapped her head up, her eyes wide with surprise as she took in the sight of Velma and Shaggy standing before her.

"Like, hello!" Shaggy beamed, obviously oblivious to the fact that the woman was now glaring at him, apparently disappointed to be torn from her game. Velma suppressed a giggle; another one of her favorite things about Shaggy was his charming inability to detect when other people were angered by something Shaggy had done. When Velma caught herself admiring Shaggy again she quickly straightened up, business-like, and reminded herself not to get carried away with her emotions.

"Like hi!" Shaggy repeated. "We would like to purchase two tickets, please!"

Shaggy deposited two brittle ten dollar bills on the counter, and Velma panicked, offering to contribute her own money in a rush, but Shaggy waved her off as the woman rolled her eyes and grabbed the money from Shaggy's outstretched hand. Velma felt her cheeks flushing with embarrassment; she had always heard that it was officially considered a date if the guy paid, but that was such a traditional way of thinking, and Velma didn't always believe in overthinking everything. But Daphne had told Velma that Fred had paid for their first few dates, which Daphne had found chivalrous, and Velma had fleetingly wondered what it would feel like to have another guy pay for her during a date.

"Should I insist on paying for my own ticket?" Velma wondered to herself. "If I allow him to pay, will that mean this is a blurred line as to whether or not this is a date? Maybe I should just pay for myself to eliminate any confusion."

But it was already too late; the woman behind the counter was already inserting Shaggy's money into the register, and at this point, it would be more noticeable if Velma were to insist on paying for herself. Velma decided to just thank Shaggy later, or offer to pay for his shake the next time they went to Sherry's diner; maybe if she paid him back, it would even things out, and that would make things seem like less of a date, and then she wouldn't be able to overanalyze whether or not this was a date.

The woman reached across the counter to secure two neon-blue paper wristbands around their wrists, and as the woman moved, Velma saw her gaze flicking between Shaggy and Velma, as though she was considering whether or not she should question their presence on a random weekday afternoon when the teens clearly should have been in school. She must have decided against it, because she shrugged and said in a monotone voice, "Once you enter through the main doors, please place your shoes inside the cubby, which you will find on the right hand side of the doors." The woman nodded her chin towards the doors that lead toward the main room, and then added, "Please be sure to abide by the Glow N' Golf Galaxy Arcade at all times – no hitting, no shoving, no running, and no spitting."

Shaggy raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Like, spitting? You guys, like, had to create a rule that specified against spitting?"

"You would be surprised by what I've seen here," the woman said as she rolled her eyes. In the same monotone, flat voice, she added, "Have a glowing time."

"Ahhhhh, like, I see what you did there!" Shaggy exclaimed, and he burst into laughter as he appreciated the joke, much to the woman's chagrin, who just blinked at Shaggy before returning to her game. Velma snickered into her palms and followed Shaggy, who held the doors open to the main room as Velma trailed behind him.

"Well, she was cheery," Velma said sarcastically.

"Like, hey Velm, she was obviously playin' a very important game – we should have some sympathy!" Shaggy chuckled, and Velma smiled as he held the second main door open for her. Even though the two had spent tons of time together in the past, she had never noticed how witty and humorous Shaggy could be when he was alone. Was this what it was like to see Shaggy when he wasn't running terrified during a mystery?

As Velma and Shaggy emerged through the second main door, they were immediately swallowed by darkness and the light, bubbly notes from an upbeat Katy Perry song. The room was expansive and huge, and Velma gasped as her eyes swept over the black lights igniting the entire space with brilliant flashes of reds and oranges and yellows and greens and blues. Spread around her and Shaggy was a neon illuminated playground containing a putt-putt golf course, a glowing bounce house, a neon green and orange inflatable slide that towered all the way up to the ceiling, and even a basketball court. But the best part was that the place was completely deserted; everyone was too busy studying at school desks and toiling away at their 9-5 jobs while Shaggy and Velma had complete control of the entire building.

"Jinkies," Velma gasped as she surveyed everything. Beside her, Shaggy smiled, clearly proud that he had chosen somewhere that impressed Velma.

"Isn't this place, like, the best?" Shaggy asked as he kicked off his black converse off his feet and stashed them into the cubby beside the main door, doing as he had been instructed by the woman at the counter. Velma mimicked Shaggy and slipped off her tan colored flats, storing them in the slot next to Shaggy's shoes.

"What should we do first, Shaggy?" Velma asked, blinking as she took in the sight around her again. She couldn't believe that just five minutes earlier, she had been questioning Shaggy's decision to come here.

"I don't know, Velma, but like, I think we should talk about your teeth first!" Shaggy said with a cackle.

Velma's hands instinctively flew over her mouth, and she felt her cheeks flush crimson red. Did she have something caught between her teeth? But when Shaggy grinned and revealed his teeth, Velma exploded with laughter when she saw that they were glaringly white against the contrast of the black lights in the building, and she giggled when she realized that Shaggy had intended to mean that her own teeth had also been glowing in the dark.

"Well, at least we can find each other in the dark!" Velma said with a laugh, as she noted how the black light didn't highlight the colors from their clothing as distinctively as their teeth.

And before Velma can say anything else, Shaggy broke into a goofy, boyish grin, and he laced his hand through her's, which instantly prompted her heart to hammer in her chest as a blush spilled onto her cheeks, and he tugged her towards the oversized inflatable castle. "Like, that bouncy house is callin' my name!"

"I think you mean _bouncing mansion_," Velma teased Shaggy, surprised at herself for finding her own voice. Shaggy's hand was still gripped in her own, and it felt warm and reassuring. Admittedly, Velma had minimal experience with boys – okay, she had none at all. Even a gesture as small as holding her hand was a new experience for Velma, but it didn't mean she hadn't allowed herself to fantasize about this exact moment on occasion. Even though it felt amazing to hold Shaggy's hand, there was still a part of her that was caught off guard by the electricity that cackled inside her belly, and there was a small part of her that wanted to go home and analyze it, and also to put as much distance between her and Shaggy as she could so she could daydream and reminisce about this moment over and over again.

Shaggy dropped her hand once they reached the bounce house, and he drew apart the mesh net that doubled as a sort of doorway into the castle, spreading it apart so Velma could crawl inside first. Velma nodded her thanks, and she slipped inside the house, with Shaggy close behind her. Immediately, Shaggy began to jump and flop around with reckless abandon, and he screeched with laughter as he flew over a foot into the air. Velma tried to bounce, but Shaggy was hopping so quickly that she struggled just to stand, and she could feel the laughter being sucked out of her chest as she strained against the effort of standing on the vinyl.

"Like, I bet I can jump higher than you, Velms!" Shaggy giggled as he did a back flip in the air.

"Hey, no fair – your legs are way longer than mine!" Velma joked as she finally pulled herself up using the netted walls that lined the bounce house.

Shaggy teetered on his feet as he flashed his excessively brightened teeth at Velma. "All right then, Velm, like, let's see what ya got!"

Velma grinned as she began to jump, tentatively and with some reservation at first, but when she saw Shaggy's smile stretch as she began to jump higher, she felt something inside of her release, and she even ricocheted herself against the wall, which earned her a laugh from Shaggy. Soon both Shaggy and Velma were jumping and moving in tandem, and savoring the feeling of gravity pulling the laughter from their chests.

"Hey, remember the rules, mister – don't spit on me!" Velma exclaimed, and she squealed with laughter immediately after telling her own joke.

Shaggy broke into another grin, his eyes shining playfully as he watched her, and Velma felt herself blush again. "Like, I'll try not to!" Velma watched breathlessly as Shaggy threw himself forward, his arms outstretched like Superman, and he landed on his stomach only to bounce right back up into the air, screaming with laughter the entire time.

Velma doubled over with laughter as she pointed and laughed at Shaggy. "You look like a set of teeth flying through the air!" she screeched, and Shaggy let out a long, booming laugh.

After a few more minutes of bouncing and dare-devil tricks on Shaggy's part, the two decided it was time to move on to the next fun activity, and selected the inflatable slide, which was even taller than the bounce house. Velma guessed that it was easily three stories high, and she could hardly climb the inflatable staircase because she was laughing so hard at Shaggy's comments.

"Your socks are, like, a light in my dark places, Velm," Shaggy yelped from behind her on the staircase, which induced Velma into another fit of giggles and sapped the energy from her strength as she staggered against the springy sides of the staircase. When they reach the top of the slide, Velma plopped onto the vinyl and was pleasantly surprised when Shaggy seated himself beside her and said, "Like, wanna race to the bottom?"

Velma flashed a grin at Shaggy. "You're on, Rogers! On the count of three, we'll slide down and see who is the better racer. One – twooo – "

"LIKE, BYE VELM!" Shaggy screeched as he beat her before she could finish her countdown. As he tumbled down, Velma watched as he somersaulted, giggling because all she could see of him was a flash of his socks as he rolled towards the bottom.

"Hey, no fair, cheater!" Velma sang out as she slid herself down the slide much more neatly than Shaggy, preferring to go down feet first, sitting up straight as she raced towards Shaggy, who was already waiting for Velma in a curled up ball of laughter at the bottom of the slide.

"Like sorry Velm, I just had to do it!" Shaggy said as he continued laughing, his teeth still glowing in the dark.

Velma had decided that so far, the slide was her favorite part of the Glow N' Glow Galaxy Arcade; it was an exhilarating rush every time she pushed herself from the top of the slide and watched the ground race towards her as she sped down the bouncy slope in a matter of seconds. She loved the sound of Shaggy's laughter as it twinkled like a xylophone, and she relished the feeling of the air rushing through her hair as she hurtled down the slide. They even had a real race after Shaggy had cheated the first time, and Velma had somehow beaten Shaggy by a few seconds, but when she glanced behind her, she noticed he had pushed himself forward just a few seconds after she had, and she fleetingly wondered if he had allowed her to win, but then rejected it because of the underlying implication; a boy who allows a girl to win at a game usually likes her as more than just a friend, and she had to stop pretending that her and Shaggy were like Daphne and Fred.

After the slide, Velma and Shaggy took on the golf course next, and they chuckled about how the neon colored golf balls lit their way through the course the entire time. Velma somehow beat Shaggy by five strokes, and again she had to dismiss overanalyzing the final course when Shaggy narrowly missed the hole several times, even though it should have been an easy maneuver into the hole. When they passed the basketball court next, Velma and Shaggy both shook their heads with a smile, wordlessly agreeing that neither of them were coordinated enough for basketball, which would be especially difficult in the dark lights guided by only a few flashes of neon teeth. Moving past the basketball court, Shaggy again grasped Velma's hand in his as he lead her towards a ball pit, and again Velma felt her heart stutter and hoped Shaggy didn't feel her palms sweating.

"There's no way I'm going in that ball pit, Shaggy," Velma said once she finally found her voice as they stood before the ball pit.

"Like, c'mon Velms, don't ya know that they scrub each individual ball with every two hours with a toothbrush?" Shaggy said, smiling at his own joke. Then his face brightened as his eyes flashed towards a spot on the opposite side of the room.

"Hey, like, the planetarium is over there, and that's kinda why I asked you to come here in the first place," Shaggy said, slipping his hand through Velma's once again as he guided her towards a little alcove in a far corner of the room. Before Velma had a chance to question what the planetarium was or register the anxiety that pinged inside of her when Shaggy held her hand, she found herself inside of a secluded room removed from the main room. It was about the size of Velma's bedroom at home, and there were glowing, bright neon beanbags strewn across the floor. Shaggy settled into a fluorescent green bean bag, pulling Velma into the orange one beside him.

"Like, look up," Shaggy whispered to Velma, and he nodded towards the ceiling.

Velma gasped as she tilted her head back to see a replication of a neon sky swirling above them.

"I know how much you like science and stars and stuff, so like, I thought it would be cool to come here," Shaggy said as he leaned back, snuggling comfortably deep into his beanbag chair. "This kinda reminds me of the stars on your bedroom ceiling, but like, in a different way. Isn't it pretty neat, Velm?"

Velma nodded in agreement, but she wasn't sure what was more neat; the fact that the Glow N' Golf Galaxy Arcade had an accurate design of the stars and the galaxies stitched together in the sky, or the fact that Shaggy had gone out of his way to not only observe something Velma loved, but to also take her somewhere that would allow her to appreciate her admiration for the stars and science even further. It was easily the kindest gesture anyone had extended her, and the fact that it had come from Shaggy made her breath hitch in her throat. Was this what it was like to be in a relationship with someone? Did they go out of their way to take you by the hand and lead you to lay beneath the stars, allowing your imagination to roam and romp freely even though it was broad daylight outside? Velma's head felt light and floaty from all the thoughts drifting through her mind, let alone the fact that she had just spent the afternoon laughing her way through Glow N' Galaxy with Shaggy.

As Shaggy and Velma stared up at the sky, a content peace blanketed over them. A few minutes later, Shaggy cleared his throat, causing Velma to jump from her reverie.

"So like, uh, tell me about one of the stars," Shaggy said, sounding suddenly nervous, and for some reason Velma felt herself blush. She debated which star she should tell Shaggy about, and began telling him about Sirius, since it was easy to discern due to the fact that it was the brightest star in the sky, and because she thought he would appreciate the fact that it was also known as the Dog Star, which reminded them both of Scooby Doo. But he cut her off as she explained the name behind the Dog Star, saying gently, "Like, the reason I asked is because I want to know about your favorite star."

Again, Velma felt the tips of her ears burning; would he find her sentimental and silly if she revealed her favorite star? She looked at his face, and his eyes were full and wide and trusting, like a child, and it made her heart swell with tenderness. She knew Shaggy too well to know when he was joking and when he was serious, and there was something about the way he was gazing at her that allowed her trust that he wasn't patronizing her, that he was genuinely curious about her favorite star.

Velma pointed towards a faded blue star in the sky spread above them, and said, "Altair has always intrigued me, not only because it's one of the nearest stars to Earth that is visible to the naked eye, but because there is a really moving story regarding Altair. In Chinese culture, Altair is known for its association with a myth about a love story. The story goes that a cowherd, represented by the star Altair, and his two children, represented by Tarazed and Alshain –" and here Velma gestured towards the sky, pointing towards the proximity between the three stars – "were separated by a large river, which is the Milky Way, from a weaver girl, who is their wife and mother. The four can only meet once a year, when magpies create a bridge that allows them to cross the celestial river. There is even a celebration during the Qixi Festival in China, to commemorate that moment every year."

Velma was vaguely aware of the fact that Shaggy was steadily watching her as she spoke, and normally this might have unnerved her, but something about discussing the stars and her place in the world always made Velma feel grounded and calm. No matter how many times she looked up at the sky, she never ceased to feel overwhelmed with awe and inspiration at how she was so little compared to the rest of the world.

"Like, that is really beautiful, Velma," Shaggy breathed softly, and Velma felt as though she was on fire as he continued to gaze at her. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and she reminded herself to breathe in and out carefully. Velma imagined that if a doctor were to x-ray her brain right now, the picture would show the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens lighting up as bright as a Christmas tree, explaining that her mind was coked out on Shaggy and the stars and the thrill and adrenaline of the afternoon.

Velma's eyes drifted towards the glowing watch strapped around Shaggy's wrist, and she groaned when she saw that her mom would already be home from work in an hour. "Jinkies! We better get going, Shaggy – my mom will be home soon, and she doesn't know that I took the car to skip school and come here!"

Shaggy shook his head, as though he was emerging from a fog, and he dug himself out of the beanbag, extending his hand out to Velma so he could pull her up. "Like, zoinks!" he exclaimed as they walked briskly out of the planetarium and headed towards the shoe cubby. "I guess I was havin' so much fun that I, like, lost track of time!"

They slid back into their shoes and walked through the main doors, passing the front counter. The woman who was working earlier had been replaced by a middle-aged man with a more upbeat personality and a smile on his face, and as Shaggy and Velma exited the building, he chirped out sincerely that he hoped they had a glowing day. Once Velma and Shaggy were outside they both blinked, adjusting their eyesight against the sun, which felt obnoxiously bright and abrasive after the time they had spent inside Glow N' Galaxy.

Velma and Shaggy were silent as Velma inserted her key into the ignition and drove onto the main road, but it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable; it felt more like the kind of silence that settles between two people who are happily spent and exhausted after a satisfying and fun day. As she neared Shaggy's street, however, her heart raced in her chest, and she felt disappointed to think that their time spent together, just the two of them, would be over in a matter of minutes. Velma realized she was disappointed to consider they may never have another afternoon together like this one day. What if they never got to have time alone together ever again? Or worse yet, what if Shaggy didn't want to spend time with just Velma after today? She remembered how she had told herself she was only with Shaggy because Fred and Daphne were unavailable, and her heart sunk in her chest.

Velma pulled into Shaggy's driveway and placed the car in park, and she gulped, realizing she had to try and convey some of what she was feeling and saying to Shaggy immediately; it was imperative that he didn't leave her car without some sort of an idea as to what today had meant to her. Shaggy's long fingers grasped the door handle, but before he could move, Velma reached over and placed her hand on his knee, forcing Shaggy to pause as he gazed at her with a question in his eyes.

"Shaggy," Velma began, her voice quiet and unsure. She cleared her throat, attempting to start again, and said, "Shaggy, what you did today was so kind. I mean, no one has ever thought to sit with me in a planetarium and listen to me ramble about my favorite stars, and no one has tried to take me somewhere fun and silly on a 'mental health day.' I really can't thank you enough – you have no idea what today meant to me."

Velma exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding after she had spoken in a rush, and Shaggy smiled. Velma blinked – was he blushing from what she had just said?!

"Like, anytime, Velm," Shaggy responded quietly. "This may sound strange, but like, I'm really glad we could spend some time alone, just the two of us. I've kinda, like, been hopin' we could do this for a long time…"

Now it was Velma's turn to blush; did this mean that she wasn't his back-up choice like she had originally thought? In fact, did that mean she was his first choice? Could she, Velma Dinkley, actually be special to someone?

"Ya know, Velm," Shaggy spoke slowly but clearly, and Velma could hear her heart thumping in her ears again, and she swiped her sweaty palms against her thighs quickly. "There's somethin' I've been, like, wonderin' – "

A loud SMACK jolted Shaggy and Velma, causing them both to flinch and scream as they looked towards Shaggy's window, which was where the noise had come from. When they noted Scooby's face pressed against the window and his tongue lolling out of his mouth, they both sighed, and Velma couldn't help but feel deflated as she wondered what Shaggy was going to reveal.

"Like, Scoob!" Shaggy yelped as he whipped open the door and clambered out of the car. Scooby jumped into his best friend's arms immediately and began to drench him in slobbery kisses. "Okay boy, easy easy!" Shaggy laughed. "I missed ya too, Scoob!"

Velma thought about pushing Shaggy to finish what he was saying, but it felt as though the moment had hurtled by as Shaggy turned around to wave good-bye to Velma. She smiled, trying not to feel disappointed, and before she peeled out of the driveway Shaggy called, "Hey Velm! Let's do this again sometime."

Velma felt her face splitting into a grin as Shaggy stared at her hopefully through the window of the passenger door. "I would love that, Shaggy," Velma smiled. "Thanks again for today!"

She watched as Shaggy turned and walked up the driveway with Scooby in tow, and as she drove through Shaggy's suburb, she flashed back through everything that had transpired during the day. Velma thought of every moment when her hand felt electric in Shaggy's as they had run and laughed and played at the Glow N' Galaxy, and she allowed her head to feel light and airy as she pondered whether or not Shaggy did indeed reciprocate her feelings. Then she began to wonder what Shaggy would have revealed to her had Scooby not interrupted, and for once, she didn't chastise herself for fueling this flame of hope that flickered inside of her, yearning to discover what it would be like to date Shaggy one day.

As Velma thought about Shaggy, she remembered the story with Altair and his children, and how once a year they were reunited with their mother – a literal and metaphorical case of star crossed lovers separated by circumstance who refused to be torn apart. When her mind snagged and churned against whether Shaggy and her would be together one day, her mind dwelled on this story, and she smiled. If Altair and his wife could be together once a year after they were separated by a celestial river, then surely her and Shaggy would be together someday, too. Maybe not today, nor tomorrow, nor even a week from now, but as she reflected on how Shaggy's hand had slipped neatly into her's as though his hands had been carved specifically to grip her own hands, she knew they would be together one day.

After all, it was written in the stars.


End file.
